Mullins Named Top Amateur Athlete

Maryland Athletics

7-31-2013

Maryland senior Patrick Mullins has been selected as the Outstanding Male Amateur Athletes of the Year for New Orleans.

Mullins will be among 26 individuals and two teams scheduled to be honored at the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Greater New Orleans Sports Selection Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, selects annual award winners in a variety of categories, in addition to selecting each year's Hall of Fame class and Amateur Athletes of the Month. Additional honorees will be announced over the next two weeks.

Mullins won the 2012 Hermann Trophy, presented to the best male player in NCAA Division I soccer. A Jesuit High product, Mullins led Maryland's high-scoring attack with 17 goals and 10 assists. He tallied seven game-winners to lead Maryland to the best winning percentage in the country (20-1-3). The Terps won the ACC championship and advanced to the College Cup for the 12th time in program history. A NSCAA First Team All-American, Mullins' 2012 season ranks sixth in points and goals, and eighth in assists in Maryland program single-season history. The forward was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year and tabbed Most Valuable Player at the ACC Championship.

The Greater New Orleans Sports Selection Committee began in 1958 when James Collins spearheaded a group of sports journalists to form a sports awards committee to immortalize local sports history. For 12 years, the committee honored local athletes each month. In 1970, the Sugar Bowl stepped in to sponsor and revitalize the committee, leading to the creation of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, honoring 10 legends from the Crescent City in its first induction class. While adding the responsibility of selecting Hall of Famers, the committee has continued to recognize the top amateur athlete in the Greater New Orleans area each month - the honors enter their 55th year in 2013. To be eligible, an athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier bowl games in the country, having hosted 23 national champions, 86 Hall of Fame players, 46 Hall of Fame coaches and 15 Heisman Trophy winners in its 79-year history. The Bowl will host the 80th Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic on January 2, 2014. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee is involved with various community initiatives through hosting and sponsorships of sporting events, awards and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors over 13,000 student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2 billion into the local economy in the last decade.